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SHELLEE: quite an unusual spelling, but writers are forgiven such creative liberties. When you are living on cutthroat island, identity becomes a sacred, priceless commodity for your livelihood depends on it. “Brand is everything. Writers are not exactly in the high income bracket, but once you’ve established yourself as Gulzar and Javed Akhtar, you can command your price and even refuse work,” writer-lyricist Shellee (originally Shailender Singh Sodhi from Ambala), has lived long enough in Mumbai to know what it wants. “If you don’t work, you won’t survive, simple,” Shellee defends writers who are penning songs with double entendres. “It’s an influence of everything, a writer just reflects it,” he says. He has already penned five songs for Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D, Acid Factory and is currently writing the screenplay, songs, and dialogues for FOSLA. “Frustrated One Sided Lovers Association,” decodes Shellee. This is an interesting title, we muse. “Well, it is and it’s not a B grade script, it has the youth and its problems,” he defends once again. Being on the censor board’s advisory panel has its advantages! But what happens when your film comes under the snip-snip? “We’ll see then,” he remarks casually. These days, Shellee’s also working on documentary on Hakka Chinese community. “My wife belongs to this community and it’s their hardwork and authentic Chinese preparations I’m focusing on,” he tells us. From theatre, Alpha Punjabi to writing for DD’s Surbhi, Bhoomi, translating for Disovery Channel, anchoring Pop De Pakore, Shellee’s come a long way Mumbai. “I want to make films like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky, A Wednesday…films that reach out to the masses and create a stir…but I’m still in the making as a writer,” he signs off.
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